Tory leader’s tweets ‘brought Senedd into disrepute’

Published

1 year ago

October 31, 2024

THE LEADER of the Conservative opposition broke Senedd rules by incorrectly describing 20mph as a blanket policy, a committee concluded.

Andrew RT Davies was found to have brought the Welsh Parliament into disrepute after calling the default speed limit a “blanket” policy on social media.

The tweet, posted just days after a ruling that the phrase was “imprecise and inaccurate”, read: “Another bus route cut thanks to Labour and Plaid’s blanket 20mph speed limits.”

An investigation by Douglas Bain, the Senedd’s standards commissioner, concluded Mr Davies breached the code of conduct by continuing to use the term.

But the Conservative was cleared of breaking rules around honesty, with Mr Bain saying: “I am satisfied that it was not his intention to deceive anyone.”

He explained that untruthfulness requires an element of deceit, fraud or moral turpitude.

Mr Davies, who has led the Welsh Tories in two stints since 2011, will be formally “censured”, which amounts to a slap on the wrists, in the Senedd on November 6.

The politician admitted he was aware of the standards committee’s conclusion that depicting the default speed limit as a blanket policy was imprecise and inaccurate.

Mr Davies argued he was entitled to use the phrase under Article 10 (freedom of expression) of the European Convention on Human Rights.

But Mr Bain ruled: “When he posted the tweet the member knew – or ought to have known that – although it was not untruthful or dishonest, it was false.

“It was not protected by the enhanced protection afforded to politicians.”

Mr Davies, who undertook not to use the term “blanket” until the complaint had been dealt with, asserted the descriptor should, at worst, be tolerated as an “inaccurate exaggeration”.

In February, Shaun Haggerty complained to the commissioner, criticising Mr Davies for “continuing to falsely use the term”, prompting the investigation.

And, in a report that followed on October 30, the commissioner found Mr Davies breached rules one (leadership principle) and two (bringing the Senedd into disrepute) of the code.

Mr Bain, who was appointed in 2021 after serving as acting commissioner, said it was incumbent on the leader of the opposition to set a good example.

He wrote: “I am satisfied that when he posted the tweet the member knew or ought to have known that it was ‘imprecise and inaccurate’ and so false.

“By ignoring the committee’s admonition and the guidance given … he failed to give the leadership required of him.”

Mr Davies was also investigated following a separate complaint, submitted by Anthony Jones in April, similarly centred on social media posts.

The tweet stated: “Vaughan Gething’s Labour government is embracing the same extreme ideology as its predecessor. Nothing has changed.”

Below was a picture, from the ‘Guido Fawkes’ political blog, of the ex-first minister and a pregnant woman, captioned: “Welsh Government press release celebrates ‘birthing people’.”

The complainant described the post as a “blatant lie”, warning that it was misleading and dangerous, with the Welsh Government confirming no such press release was issued.

Mr Davies pointed out that a ministerial statement on April 26 referred to ‘birthing people’ as he again argued he was exercising his right to freedom of expression.

Interviewed under oath, Mr Davies told the commissioner Mr Jones had “serially complained” about his conduct, with four other complaints since 2023.

But Mr Bain did not consider any of the four complaints vexatious and was not satisfied with an explanation that the text had been copied from ‘Guido Fawkes’.

“I am clear that is irrelevant,” he wrote in his report.

“Members are fully responsible for any quotation they choose to include in a tweet … that has been made clear to members repeatedly.”

Mr Bain pointed out that guidance on the code of conduct states Senedd members are expected to reasonably fact check and verify their assertions.

He said: “As a former member of the standards of conduct committee, I consider it inconceivable that he was not aware of that.”

The commissioner asked whether Mr Davies accepted that a politician knowingly making a false or misleading statement would be likely to bring the Senedd into disrepute.

He replied: “If someone deliberately did that, of course, that would be a case of bringing the Senedd into disrepute. But I don’t accept that in this case one iota.”

Mr Davies described press releases and ministerial statements as synonymous but Mr Bain did not accept this, saying there is a clear distinction.

He wrote: “Whilst I have no doubt the member’s tweet … was incorrect and potentially misleading, I am not satisfied on the evidence it can be found to have been untruthful.”

However, Mr Davies was again found to have brought the Senedd into disrepute.

The commissioner said: “I am satisfied that the member made no attempt to check the accuracy of the text from ‘Guido Fawkes’ that he copied into his tweet.”

Mr Davies was offered an opportunity to comment.

Ajax armoured vehicle trial paused again as MP warns jobs must be protected

Published

2 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A FRESH pause to trials of the Ajax armoured vehicle programme has prompted renewed calls for workers’ jobs in Wales to be safeguarded.

The trial has been halted after another soldier reportedly fell ill during testing, adding to a series of delays and technical problems that have dogged the long-running Ministry of Defence project.

Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster spokesperson David Chadwick MP said the repeated failures raised serious questions about accountability and cost.

He warned ministers must ensure taxpayers are not left footing the bill if the programme ultimately collapses, arguing that responsibility should rest with defence contractor General Dynamics.

“With the Ajax programme beset by repeated failures and significant delays, ministers need to confirm that taxpayers will not be left to bear the cost of these failures,” he said.

“If the project does end up being scrapped, the Government must ensure that the 400 workers currently employed on the programme in Merthyr Tydfil will receive full support.”

Mr Chadwick added that the Merthyr site should be prioritised for future defence and military development work if Ajax does not proceed, to protect skilled jobs and investment in the area.

The Ajax programme has faced years of scrutiny over safety concerns, excessive noise and vibration, and mounting delays, with the latest pause reigniting pressure on the Government to clarify the project’s future.

Health

‘Children spending more time in digital worlds than the real one’

Published

5 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter

CHILDREN are spending more time in digital worlds than the real one, the Senedd has heard, with excessive screen use shaping behaviour and health in ways society cannot ignore.

Labour’s John Griffiths expressed concerns about the impact of smartphones and online gaming on young people amid an “epidemic of screen use” in Wales.

Mr Griffiths titled the debate “Locked in, Bruh!” – “the state of playing a video game while oblivious to anything else” – on the suggestion of Tom, a teenager from Newport.

He raised research from the Centre for Social Justice, a thinktank, which estimates that up to 814,000 UK children aged three to five are already engaging with social media.

The Newport East Senedd Member told the chamber two-thirds of primary school pupils in Wales have their own smartphone by the age of 11.

Mr Griffiths said boys spend two hours more a day on online gaming while girls spend more time on social media and “reel scrolling” which has been linked to damaging self-esteem.

He told Senedd Members: “Boys are becoming more short-tempered and violent when exposed to violent video games and there is, rightly, much concern that children in more deprived families are particularly vulnerable.”

Mr Griffiths, who was first elected in 1999 and will stand down in 2026, said children aged five to 16 spend at least six hours a day looking at a screen. He added that for children, aged 11 to 14, that figure rises to nine hours a day.

He pointed to research showing more than 70% of young people in the UK do not undertake an hour of physical activity a day yet have at least six hours to spend looking at a screen.

He said: “Children are sat inside with a screen at the end of their nose and are not spending time outside enjoying their local communities or playing and interacting with friends.”

Mr Griffiths warned of increasing levels of obesity and rising numbers of young people reporting vision problems, with one in three children globally now short-sighted.

He told the Senedd: “As for the mental health and wider social impacts, anxiety and depression are increasingly linked to excessive screen use as is sleep disruption – with social media interfering with rest and emotional development.”

He raised a New Zealand study of more than 6,000 children that found a correlation between excessive screen time and below-average performance in literacy and numeracy. He warned children have increasingly shortened attention spans and an inability to concentrate.

Mr Griffiths shared the case of his constituent, Danielle, who said her son becomes more aggressive and snappier after a significant time gaming. Lucy, another constituent, explained how her children find the endless reels on social media addictive.

“Once they start scrolling, it’s hard to break that cycle,” the Senedd Member said. “And when she and her husband take the devices away, it often results in tantrums and tears.”

Mr Griffiths raised the example of countries such as Australia, France and Italy which have introduced strict age checks and bans on social media for under 16s.

He acknowledged such a policy would need to come from the UK Government because powers over internet services are not devolved. But he said Wales has the authority to introduce measures through education policy on, for example, smartphones in schools.

The Tories’ Sam Rowlands warned algorithms are having a “sickening” effect on teenagers who are eight times more likely to act on self-harm urges when exposed to such content. “TikTok users with eating disorders receive over 4,000% more toxic content,” he warned.

Responding to Wednesday’s (December 17) debate, Jane Hutt recognised how so-called doom scrolling can have a detrimental impact on young people.

Wales’ social justice secretary said: “We are living through profound change. Childhood today is shaped by technology in ways that were unimaginable a generation ago… For many young people, screens, smartphones and online gaming are part of everyday life.”

Jane Hutt, secretary for social justice, trefnydd and chief whip

Community

Senedd unanimously backs sign language bill

Published

5 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter

PLANS to make Wales the best place in the UK for British Sign Language (BSL) users moved a significant step closer to becoming law with the Senedd’s unanimous support.

If ultimately passed, the BSL bill – introduced by the Conservatives’ Mark Isherwood – would end Wales’ status as the only UK nation without specific sign language protections.

Leading a debate on Wednesday December 17, Mr Isherwood said the Senedd supporting the bill’s general principles was a “huge step ahead” for the “vital” legislation.

Mr Isherwood, a disability rights campaigner for decades, explained his backbench bill would introduce legal requirements to promote and facilitate the use of BSL in Wales.

He said the bill, if passed, would be the most progressive piece of BSL legislation anywhere in the UK, recognising BSL is a language in its own right, not a communication support need.

He highlighted that the bill would establish a BSL adviser role, the first statutory post of its kind in the UK, describing its importance as something that “cannot be overstated”.

Mr Isherwood, who chairs cross-party groups on disability and deaf issues, told the Senedd: “This isn’t just my bill. This is the bill of the BSL community. Let’s make this happen together and be proud of it together on behalf of deaf people across Wales.”

Jenny Rathbone, the Labour chair of the Senedd’s equality committee, was convinced of the “overdue” need for legislation to give more standing to British Sign Language.

Ms Rathbone said the committee heard the biggest barrier “by some margin” was the availability of interpreters and the sustainability of the workforce.

She quoted a signer who told the committee: “The bill would make us feel respected and valued. But without proper funding, planning and deaf-led leadership, it won’t go far enough.”

Sioned Williams, Plaid Cymru’s shadow social justice secretary, told Senedd members: “Language is a part of our identity, our culture and our personal dignity.

“When someone cannot use their language, they are excluded from education, health care, employment and public life – and that is not acceptable in today’s Wales.”

Sioned Williams MS, Plaid Cymru's shadow social justice secretary — Sioned Williams MS, Plaid Cymru’s shadow social justice secretary

Ms Williams warned that if the legislation fails to deliver real change, the deaf community would be left “angry, disappointed and very, very disheartened”.

She expressed concern that the bill does not legally require the BSL adviser to be a deaf person, arguing it is “not appropriate, possible or efficient” for non-signers to lead the way.

Mr Isherwood defended the decision not to require that the adviser must be deaf, warning a successful legal challenge to a single such provision could cause the entire bill to fail.

Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds warned of an immediate workforce crisis, with only 54 registered sign language interpreters in Wales as of July.

With many now approaching the end of their working lives, she said: “We cannot – we must not – allow this bill to fail because we didn’t have the foresight to address this crisis now.”

Support for the bill stretched across the political spectrum, with Reform UK’s Laura Anne Jones similarly welcoming the “long-overdue” and “vital” legislation.

Jane Hutt, Wales’ social justice secretary, confirmed the Welsh Government’s financial backing, committing £214,300 for the bill’s first year of implementation in 2026/27.

If it clears the final hurdles, Mr Isherwood’s proposal will be the first backbench bill to enter the statute book in about a decade following the Nurse Staffing Levels (Wales) Act 2016.